Overview of Linux commands

Updated: 03/05/2023 by Computer Hope

Below is a list of each Linux command currently listed on Computer Hope and a brief explanation of each command. Clicking any of the commands displays additional help and information about that command.

Note

Not all commands below work with every distribution and may also not work because of your privileges.

Reference guides
Regular expressions quick reference	Overview of using regular expressions in commands and searches.

Command	Description
a2p	Create a Perl script from an AWK script.
ac	Print statistics about user connection time.
addgroup	Add a group to the system.
adduser	Add a user to the system.
agrep	Version of the grep utility that also matches approximate patterns.
alias	Create an alternate name for a command.
apropos	Search the manual pages for a keyword or regular expression.
apt	A unified APT front end for the command line.
apt-cache	Get information about installed and available APT software packages.
apt-file	Search for individual files in all available APT package.
apt-get	Download and install APT software packages.
apt-mark	Change or view the settings of individual APT packages.
aptitude	An enhanced APT front end for the terminal.
ar	Create, modify, and extract files from archives.
arch	Display the architecture of the system.
arp	Manipulate the system ARP cache.
as	An assembler.
aspell	An interactive spell checker.
at	Schedule a command to run at a certain time.
awk	Interpreter for the AWK text processing programming language.
basename	Strip directory information and suffixes from file names.
bash	The Bourne Again shell command interpreter.
bc	A calculator.
bdiff	Identify the differences between two big files.
bfs	An editor capable of loading large files.
bg	Resume a suspended program without bringing it to the foreground.
biff	Receive detailed mail notifications at the command line.
bind	Define, or display, bash key and function bindings.
break	Break out of a while, for, foreach, or until loop.
bs	A Linux version of the popular game "Battleship."
bye	On some systems, an alias for the exit command.
cal	Display a conveniently-formatted calendar from the command line.
calendar	Display appointments and reminders.
cancel	Cancel a print job under the System V operating system.
cat	Output the contents of a file.
cc	Compiler of the C programming language.
cd	Change the working directory.
cfdisk	A more user-friendly version of the fdisk disk partitioning utility.
chattr	Change file attributes.
chdir	Function and alias for the cd command.
checkeq	Language processor that assists in describing equations.
checknr	Check nroff and troff files for errors.
chfn	Change a user's finger information.
chgrp	Change the group ownership of files and directories.
chkey	Change the secure RPC key pair on SunOS.
chmod	Change the permissions of files and directories.
chown	Change the ownership of files and directories.
chroot	Run a command or shell from another directory, and treat that directory as root.
chsh	Change login shell.
cksum	Calculate and display a CRC for files.
clear	Clears the screen.
cmp	Compare two files byte by byte.
col	Filter reverse linefeeds.
comm	Compare two sorted files line by line.
compress	Compress a file or files.
continue	Break out of a while, for, foreach, or until loop.
cp	Copy files and directories.
cpio	Copy files to or from archives.
crontab	View and edit a list of jobs for the system to run at regular intervals.
csh	The C shell command interpreter.
csplit	Split files based on a defined context.
ctags	Create tag files for source code.
cu	Calls up another system, acting as a dial-in terminal.
curl	Transfer data to or from a server.
cut	Remove or "cut out" sections of each line of a file or files.
date	View or set the current date and time.
dc	An arbitrary-precision arithmetic package.
dd	Copy and convert the encoding of files.
declare	Declare, display, or assign attributes to bash variables and functions.
delgroup	Remove a group from the system.
deluser	Remove a user from the system.
depmod	Generate a list of kernel module dependences and associated map files.
deroff	Remove nroff/troff, tbl, and eqn constructs from files.
df	Report the amount of available disk space on file systems.
dhclient	Communicate with a DHCP server to obtain a dynamic IP address.
diff	Identify the differences between two files.
dig	DNS lookup utility.
dircmp	Compare the contents of two directories, listing unique files.
dirname	Strip the file name from a pathname, leaving only the directory component.
dmesg	Print or control the kernel ring buffer.
dos2unix	Convert text files between DOS and Unix formats.
dpkg	Install, remove, and maintain Debian software packages.
dpost	Translate files created by troff into PostScript under Solaris.
du	Report the amount of disk space used by a file or files.
echo	Output text.
ed	A simple text editor.
edit	A text editor.
egrep	Filter text that matches an extended regular expression.
eject	Eject removable media.
elm	A mail client.
emacs	A highly extensible text editor.
enable	Enable and disable LP printers.
env	Report the value of environment variables.
eqn	Language processor for describing equations.
eval	Evaluate arguments in bash, and execute them as a command.
ex	Line-editor mode of the vi text editor.
exec	Execute a command that replaces the current bash shell, without creating a new process.
exit	Exit the command shell.
expand	Expand tab characters to several spaces.
export	Declare whether individual bash variables and functions should be passed to child processes.
expr	Evaluate arguments as an expression.
false	Return an exit status of failure.
fc	List, edit, or re-execute commands from the command history.
fdisk	A disk partitioning utility.
fg	Resumes a suspended job and brings it to the foreground.
fgrep	Filter text that matches a fixed-character string.
file	Determine a file's type.
find	Find files within a directory hierarchy.
findsmb	List information about machines networked with the Samba protocol.
finger	List information about a user.
fmt	A formatter for simplifying and optimizing text files.
fold	Wrap lines of text to a specified line width.
for	Execute a set of commands in a repeating loop.
foreach	Execute a set of commands once for each of a given set of input items.
free	Display the amount of free and used memory.
fsck	Check and repair a Linux file system.
ftp	Conduct an interactive FTP session over a secure network connection.
fuser	Identify processes using files or sockets.
gawk	GNU's version of the AWK programming language.
getfacl	Display file access control lists.
getopts	Parse the arguments passed to a bash shell script.
gpasswd	Administer /etc/group and /etc/gshadow.
gprof	Display call graph profile data.
grep	Filter text that matches a regular expression.
groupadd	Add a group to the system.
groupdel	Remove a group from the system.
groupmod	Modify a group definition.
gunzip	Expand compressed files.
gview	An alias that launches a graphical version of the vim text editor.
gvim	An alias for vim.
gzip	Create, modify, list the contents of, and extract files from GNU zip archives.
halt	Stop the computer.
hash	Access internal hash tables under Solaris.
hashstat	Evaluate the effectiveness of internal hash tables under Solaris.
head	Display the first lines of a file.
help	Display help for built-in shell commands.
history	Display the command history.
host	Convert a hostname to an IP address and vice versa.
hostid	Print the numeric identifier for the current host.
hostname	Set or print the hostname of system.
id	Display real and effective user and group IDs.
ifconfig	View or modify the configuration of network interfaces.
ifdown	Disable a network interface.
ifquery	Parse information about a network interface.
ifup	Enable a network interface.
info	Read Info documents.
init	The parent of all processes on the system.
insmod	Insert a module into the Linux kernel.
iostat	Report CPU and I/O statistics for devices and partitions.
ip	Display and manipulate information about routing, devices, policy routing and tunnels.
isalist	Display the native instruction sets available on a Solaris system.
iwconfig	Configure a wireless network interface.
jobs	List the status of all running jobs.
join	Join the lines of two files that share a common field of data.
keylogin	Decrypt a user's secret key on SunOS.
kill	Send a signal to a process, affecting its behavior or killing it.
killall	Kill processes by name.
ksh	The Korn shell command interpreter.
last	Display a listing of the most recently logged-in users.
ld	Link editor for object files.
ldd	List dynamic dependencies of executable files or shared objects.
less	Scrolling text viewer.
let	Evaluate arithmetic expressions.
lex	Generate programs for performing lexical tasks.
link	Create a hard link to a regular file.
ln	Create a link, or a symbolic link, to a file or directory.
lo	Exit the command shell.
locate	Search a local database to find files by name.
login	Begin a session on a system.
logname	Return a user's login name.
logout	Exit the command shell.
losetup	Set up and control loop devices.
lp	Print a file on the System V operating system.
lpadmin	Configure LP print services.
lpc	Control line printers.
lpq	List the status of available printers.
lpr	Submit print requests.
lprm	Remove requests from the print queue.
lpstat	List the status of the LP print services.
ls	List the contents of a directory or directories.
lsattr	List file attributes.
lsb_release	Display information about your Linux distribution.
lsmod	Show the status of Linux kernel modules.
lsof	List open files.
lzcat	View compressed .lzma files.
lzma	Compress files to .lzma file.
mach	Display the processor of the current system.
mail	Read, compose, and manage mail.
mailcompat	Provide SunOS 4.x compatibility for the Solaris mailbox format.
mailx	Process mail messages.
make	Automatically build executable programs and libraries from source code.
man	Display the manual page of a given command.
md5sum	Computes and checks the MD5 message digest.
merge	Performs a merge of the contents of three files.
mesg	Control if (non-root) users can send messages to your terminal.
mii-tool	View and manipulate the status of a media-independent interface.
mkdir	Create a directory.
mkfs	Build a Linux file system, usually a hard disk partition.
mkswap	Set up a Linux swap area.
modinfo	Show information about a Linux kernel module.
modprobe	Add and remove modules from the Linux kernel.
more	Display text one screen at a time.
mount	Mount a file system so that its data may be accessed.
mt	Control magnetic tapes.
mv	Move files and directories from one location to another, and optionally rename them.
myisamchk	Check, repair, optimize, or fetch information about a MySQL database.
mysql	An open-source relational database management system.
mysqldump	A tool for backing up or transferring MySQL databases.
nc	TCP/IP swiss army knife.
neqn	Language processor for describing equations.
netstat	Print information about network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast memberships.
newalias	Install new elm aliases.
newform	Change the format of a text file under Solaris.
newgrp	Log in to a new group.
nice	Invoke a command with an altered scheduling priority.
niscat	Display NIS+ tables and objects.
nischmod	Change access rights on an NIS+ object.
nischown	Change the owner of an NIS+ object on a system running Solaris.
nischttl	Change the time to live value of an NIS+ object.
nisdefaults	Display NIS+ default values.
nisgrep	Utilities for searching NIS+ tables.
nismatch	Utilities for searching NIS+ tables.
nispasswd	Change NIS+ password information.
nistbladm	Administer NIS+ tables.
nl	Number the lines in a file.
nmap	Network exploration tool and security port scanner.
nohup	Instruct a command to continue running even if the session is disconnected or the user logs out.
nroff	Format documents for terminal display or line-printer.
nslookup	Query a name server for information about a remote host.
od	Dump files in octal and other formats.
on	Execute a command on a remote system, but with the local environment.
onintr	Built-in shell function that responds to hardware interrupts.
optisa	Determine which instruction set is optimal to use on a Solaris system.
pack	Compress files using a Huffman algorithm.
pagesize	Display the size of a page of memory in bytes.
parted	A disk partition manipulation program.
partprobe	Inform the operating system about changes to the partition table.
passwd	Change a user's password.
paste	Merge corresponding lines of files.
pax	Read and write file archives, and copy directory hierarchies.
pcat	Print the uncompressed contents of a compressed file.
perl	Interpreter for the Perl programming language.
pg	Browse page by page through text files.
pgrep	Look up processes based on the name or other attributes.
pico	A simple text editor.
pine	A client for using mail and newsgroups.
ping	Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to network hosts.
pkill	Send a signal to any process whose attributes match a regular expression.
poweroff	Stop the computer.
pr	Format a text file for printing.
printenv	Print all or part of the environment.
printf	Write formatted output.
priocntl	Display or set scheduling parameters of a processes under Solaris.
ps	Report the status of a process or processes.
pstree	Display processes in a tree format.
pvs	Display the internal version information of dynamic objects within an ELF file.
pwd	Print the name of the working directory.
quit	Exit the command shell.
rcp	Copy files to or from a remote system.
read	In bash, read a line from a file or from standard input, split it into words, and assign the words to variables.
readlink	Print the value of a symbolic link or canonical file name.
reboot	Stop the computer.
red	Run ed in "restricted" (less powerful, more secure) mode.
rehash	Recompute internal hash tables under Solaris.
rename	Rename multiple files according to a regular expression.
renice	Alter the priority of running processes.
repeat	Execute a set of commands in a repeating loop.
replace	A string-replacement utility.
rgview	An alias for vim.
rgvim	An alias for vim.
rlogin	Begin a session on a remote system.
rm	Delete files.
rmdir	Remove a directory.
rmmod	Remove a module from the Linux kernel.
rn	A newsgroup reader.
route	Display and manipulate the IP routing table.
rpcinfo	Report information about remote procedure calls.
rsh	Execute a command on a remote shell.
rsync	A fast and versatile file copying tool capable of synchronizing files across remote systems.
sync	Sync file data in memory and disk, forcing immediate operation of pending reads and writes.
rview	An alias for vim.
rvim	An alias for vim.
s2p	Convert a sed script to a Perl script.
sag	Under Solaris, graphically displays system activity data generated by sar.
sar	Display CPU activity under Solaris.
scp	Copy files securely over a network connection.
screen	Screen manager with VT100/ANSI terminal emulation.
script	Record everything printed on your screen.
sdiff	Compare two files, side-by-side.
sed	A utility for filtering and transforming text.
sendmail	Send mail.
service	Run a System V init script.
set	Set the value of shell options and positional parameters.
setenv	Set the value of an environment variable.
setfacl	Modify the access control list of a file or files.
sfdisk	A low-level disk partitioning program.
sftp	Conduct an interactive FTP session over a secure network connection.
sh	The Bourne shell command interpreter. Also see our index of bash builtin commands.
sha224sum	Computes and checks a SHA224 message digest.
sha256sum	Computes and checks a SHA256 message digest.
sha384sum	Computes and checks a SHA384 message digest.
sha512sum	Computes and checks a SHA512 message digest.
shift	Shift the positional parameters of the current command to the left.
shopt	Modify certain bash shell options.
shred	Overwrite a file's contents, irrevocably destroying them.
shutdown	Schedule a time for the system to be powered down.
sleep	Wait a given number of seconds.
slogin	Log in to a remote system securely.
smbclient	An ftp-like client for accessing SMB/CIFS resources on servers.
sort	Sort the lines in a text file.
source	In bash, read commands from a file and execute them.
spell	A spell checker.
split	Split a file into pieces.
startx	Start an X Window System session.
stat	Display the status of a file or filesystem.
stop	Stop a running job.
strftime	Format strings that represent the system date and time.
strip	Discard symbols from object files.
stty	Set options for your terminal display.
su	Become the superuser or another user.
sudo	Execute a command as the superuser.
swapoff	Disable a Linux swap area.
swapon	Enable a Linux swap area.
sysklogd	Linux system logging utilities.
tabs	Set tab stops on a terminal.
tac	Output the contents of files in reverse order.
tail	Print the last lines of a text file.
talk	Talk with other logged in users.
tar	Create, modify, list the contents of, and extract files from tar archives.
tbl	Preprocessor that formats tables for nroff or troff.
tcopy	Copy a magnetic tape.
tcpdump	Capture raw network traffic.
tcsh	A command-line shell similar to csh, with some additional features.
tee	Route a file's contents to multiple outputs.
telinit	Process control initialization.
telnet	Connect to a remote system using the telnet protocol.
test	Test file attributes and compare values.
time	Report how long it takes for a command to execute.
timex	Report process data and system activity for a specified command.
todos	Convert text files between DOS and Unix formats.
top	Display a sortable, continually-updated list of processes.
touch	Update the timestamp of a file or directory.
tput	Initialize a terminal or query the terminfo database.
tr	Translate one set of characters to another.
traceroute	Trace the route that packets take to a remote host.
trap	A function that "traps" signals and interrupts, and reacts to them.
tree	List the contents of a file hierarchy visually in a tree format.
troff	Typeset or format documents for terminal display or line-printer.
tty	Print the file name of the terminal connected to standard input.
true	Return an exit status of success.
ul	Translate underscores to underlining.
umask	Get or set the file mode creation mask.
umount	Unmount a file system, making its data inaccessible.
unalias	Remove an alias.
uname	Print information about the current system.
uncompress	Extract files from compressed archives.
unhash	Remove internal hash table under Solaris.
uniq	Identify, and optionally filter out, repeated lines in a file.
unlink	Remove a file.
unlzma	Decompress .lzma files.
unpack	Expand a compressed file.
until	Execute a set of commands until a certain condition is true.
unxz	Decompress .xz files.
unzip	List, test, and extract compressed files in a zip archive.
uptime	Display information about how long the system has run.
useradd	Add a user to the system.
userdel	Remove a user from the system.
usermod	Modify a user's account settings.
vacation	Reply to mail automatically.
vgrind	"Grind" nice program listings.
vi	Text editor based on the visual mode of ex.
view	Run vim in read-only mode.
vim	An advanced version of vi.
vipw	Safely edit the password file.
visudo	Safely edit the sudoers file.
vmstat	Report statistics about virtual memory usage.
w	Show who is logged on and what they are doing.
wait	Await process completion.
wall	Send a message to all logged-in users.
wc	Display a count of lines, words, and characters in a file.
wget	Download files via HTTP or FTP.
whatis	Display short manual page descriptions.
whereis	Locate the binary, source, and manual page files for a command.
which	Locate the binary executable of a command.
while	Execute a set of actions while a certain condition is true.
who	Report which users are logged in to the system.
whoami	Print your effective userid.
whois	An Internet username directory service.
write	Send a message to another user.
X	Executable of the X Window System.
Xorg	The executable of the X Window System server.
xargs	Build and execute complex commands, and execute them on multiple files.
xfd	Display all the characters in an X font.
xhost	Server access control program for X.
xinit	The initializer of the X Window System.
xlsfonts	Display X font lists.
xrdb	An X server resource database utility.
xset	A user preference utility for X.
xterm	A terminal emulator for X.
xz	Compress files to .xz files.
xzcat	View compressed .xz files.
yacc	"Yet another compiler-compiler."
yes	Repeatedly output a given string, or the letter "y".
yppasswd	Change a network password in an NIS database.
yum	An interactive rpm-based package manager.
zcat	Print the uncompressed contents of compressed files.
zip	A compression and archiving utility.
zipcloak	Encrypt files in an existing zip archive.
zipinfo	Display technical information about a zip file.
zipnote	View, add, or modify a zip file's comments.
zipsplit	Split a single zip archive into a set of smaller zip files.

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